Hello, ~Blood--Stock and first of all thank you for dedicating your time for this interview.

International Women's Week is coming up (3-9 of March) and so we devised a series of interviews for you, from deviantART's most wonderful women artists. They are as varied as you could imagine - photographers, stock artists, digital painters, web designers and more but they all share one common thing.
They are women.

<sub>"As many of us already have read, or know, women had to fight for their equal footing with the men, and in some parts of the world they are still very underprivileged. We as women still get paid less than men for same positions, a lot of us are undereducated, a number are being treated as commodity even slavery, forced into prostitution... We even have girls at extremely young age being forced into marriage with much older men, and what makes it even worse their bodies are underdeveloped for childbearing and many die during childbirth or suffer later from side-effects of it, such as weak bladder and lowering of the uterus, being outcasted by community and families. We still struggle to break the glass ceilings in the corporate world, and in many parts of the world women do not have right to vote, or even speak up.

So in order to change this, to give all those young women hope, and a drive to succeed we wanted to organise the event that will empower women, that will give women and girls strength to reach for their dreams, that extra push they need."</sub>

Today, we are superwomen. We are doctors, nurses, managers, secretaries and mothers.

Please tell us about yourself.

~Blood--Stock: Hello there, my name is Stephanie, I am a twenty-year-old lesbian living in the United Kingdom and I have been a member of deviantART for almost five years. During my time here, I have experimented with many different forms of media but find myself most at home behind a camera, providing stock photos for the community. When I'm online, you can almost always find me perusing stock artists' galleries and lurking in #ARSTOCK.

What do you think are the biggest issues for women in the world today?

~Blood--Stock: Well, as far as global issues go, I'd have to say that famine, disease and poverty affect more than a few women world-wide, but if you're looking for problems a little closer to home, I believe that some of the more overlooked ones are judicial systems' ignorance and poor punishment when dealing with sex crimes, lack of emotional and financial support for single mothers, and discrimination and prejudice against women - especially in the work place.

Do you think there is an easy fix to this problem?

~Blood--Stock: In theory, of course. All it would take is a little time, money, effort and understanding and these problems could be well on their way to being solved - as would the majority of the world's dilemmas, but, living in the society we do, it's doubtful that these troubles will be fully dealt with.

Who are the women you look up to or inspire you the most? (it can be on dA or in real life)

~Blood--Stock: Two fantastic female deviants who really have inspired me, both in my artwork and day-to-day life, are =robinism and `oibyrd, and two arguably wonderful women outside of deviantART are my Mother and the internationally famous singer, Wing.

What inspires you about them?

~Blood--Stock: Both =robinism and `oibyrd are amazing artists and very strong women who have had to deal with more than any woman should and still manage to come out smiling. They are an example to us all.

Though you may not have heard of Wing, she has overcome the ridicule of her talents, age and ethnicity and carries on bringing light into people's lives with her passion for singing. Go Wing!

And my Mother? Well, someone had to bring me into this world, didn't they? And for that I am eternally grateful.

We know deviantART is a wonderful place to grow as an artist in. Do you think deviantART has helped you realise things about yourself in the context of being a woman? Has it helped you grow as a woman?

~Blood--Stock: During my stay as a member here, I've come to learn and understand that there are more open-minded and tolerant people out there than I'd first believed. Being accepted into this community has contributed to boosting my confidence a tremendous amount, especially as a woman and lesbian, and has helped me forget the prejudice and hatred shown towards me, simply for being who I am.

What message would you leave for the future women? (if you had a little sister, what would be the most important thing you would pass on to her?)

~Blood--Stock: I can't predict the circumstances of the future, but I would have to tell women that it's always a good idea to stand up for themselves and others, keep their dignity and never, ever believe someone when they tell you that shaving your pubic hair will rid you of crab infestation...

We're women from dawn to dusk. Can you tell us of an event that your being a woman hindered you in?

~Blood--Stock: There will always be stereotypical situations in which men and sometimes other women will presume you're incapable of doing something even slightly technical and undermine your abilities, but there will be others where you'll be overestimated and expected to be a brilliant cook and always keep a spare industrial sewing machine in your back pocket, just because you're a woman.

How would you suggest to fix that?

~Blood--Stock: Keep all of the parts of an industrial sewing machine in your back pocket and assemble it in front of them? Or a little education won't go amiss.

What do you think is the most important thing people should realise about women?

~Blood--Stock: Just remember that capabilities are endless, regardless of who a person is or was, including their gender.

Is there anything you would like to add?

~Blood--Stock: Not really, I think I've said everything I wanted to, but I would like to remind some of you girls that you needn't burn your bras and razors to gain a little respect and independence - it's not a pretty look.

Again, thank you ~Blood--Stock for taking the time to let us get to know a woman's life from up close.

Some gems from ~Blood--Stock and her art account, *WiggyWarmPatch's gallery:



For more information about International Women's Week visit ^sbaraci or *int-womens-week.